Friday, May 16, 2008
Snouts in the trough
BBC: Open secrets: MPs in High Court blow
MPs have lost the latest round in their battle to keep secret the full details of what they have been spending on their second home.
In its decision issued today the High Court has backed the earlier Information Tribunal ruling that receipt-by-receipt details should be published.
Due to other freedom of information requests the House of Commons authorities has already been forced to concede the publication of the amount spent under sub-headings such as mortgages, cleaning and groceries. This decision would take that much further into the release of individual invoices and receipts for spending for the 14 MPs involved in this case.
The decision is a huge embarrassment for the Commons authorities.
Posted by little professor @ 02:49 PM (340 views) Add Comment
13 Comments
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1. plato said...
Good, Excellent, Superb, Democracy.
2. Neo-serf said...
Get in.
Exactly what is needed.
It is not just the housing market that's collapsing - it is also this façade of democracy.
3. Bob said...
"the amount spent under sub-headings such as mortgages, cleaning and groceries"
How in the hell does that work?! - They get paid. A LOT. What the hell are we doing paying for groceries and cleaners as well?! My company doesn't pay for a cleaner. If I want one I use my salary. The perks British MPs get are absolutely disgusting.
4. wiltshire said...
It's OUR money at the end of the day. What possible justification do they think they have? Cheeky b******s!
5. Landedgentry said...
£23K a year for mortgage payments, a free property paid for in about a decade (or a bolthole in a very fashionable part of the city). I'd just blag it for a decade, demanding 'urgent inquiries' when a former terrorist is employed as head of MI6, or when private sector corporation usurps governmental roles for profit, or when 5 years olds are out on the streets killing police officers, and at other times fall asleep in the commons and come out a winner with a free property. Nice work if you can get it.
6. sold 2 rent 1 said...
The information request was put in 3 years ago.
About time.
7. K said...
Cherie Blair recently remarked that Gordon Brown was wrong to declare his intention to not support MP's wage rises above inflation level. Her reasoning that he wasn't to say what know about other member's financial commitments.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3905089.ece
A financial commitment, as we have found out, is £7k renovation to a second home, or £12k worth of mortgage payments. The potential here is that people choose to become mp's on the basis of the freebies on offer and not the small incentive of making a difference, which is what they themselves will claim.
8. Planning4acrash said...
S2r, you must be feeling a bit smug about your May 16th prediction!
9. planning4acrash said...
S2r, you must be feeling initially a bit smug about your May 16th prediction. Whilst I'm not completely convinced, i'm one of who enjoys reading the stars without believing them. And you certainly beat Mystic Meg!
10. Razmustinkle said...
The so called 'honourable memebers of Parliament' are a bunch of legal thieves, can you imagine the French people allowing their government to do this while raising taxes to an all time high? IThis should only be the beginning of accountbility to the British people and surely the beginning of members of the house being 100% more accountable for their seedy behaviour!!
11. malct said...
would it help to take some pressure off this evolving website if admin created at system whereby posters could communicate one 2 one but still annon?
just a thought.
12. planning4acrash said...
Apologies. Its just that, for, quite some time now, nay I say years, I've understood that the Polar Bear issue was central to achieving an ethical society. The past year, it has been clear that MP's ability to keep things secret, particularly in relation to renumeration, i.e. their inflationary expectations. that this would become a clear issue. Amazing that they are being held up. I see these as tipping points, along with the people of Burma and China discovering that their Totalitarian regimes do not respond appropriately.
13. planning4acrash said...
Its just that, so many things have happened today to back up S2R's hypothesis.